Fres Oquendo vs. Elieser Castillo Press Conference turns into brawl!

by Alexander Banks on Wednesday, July 18th, 2007

Bad blood between Heavyweight pugilists turned the exclusive Havana 1900 restaurant and bar into a war zone following the press conference for the Fres Oquendo vs. Elieser Castillo bout being hosted by ESPN2's Friday Night Fights. BetUS.com has listed Fres Oquendo as a -250 odds favorite.

Cuban heavyweight Castillo was talking trash throughout the press conference to Puerto Rican Oquendo when members of Oquendo’s camp started issuing threats of their own in return from their seats in the audience. After the press conference, things turned ugly when over a dozen members from both camps engaged in a full-fledged brawl that saw punches being launched, tables being smashed and cameras being destroyed.

Neither fighter, however, seemed to be seriously injured during the scrap. I tried to get a decent shot of the action but my camera’s battery was sent airborne in the middle of the ruckus. Castillo had to be restrained by his handlers for several minutes after the melee, as he shouted furiously at Oquendo and his handlers. It comes as no surprise for the heavy- handed Castillo, as he has always been an animated character who was a bit on the wild side.

The event itself looks to be an excellent one, being staged by the highly regarded Florida Boxing Promotions. A talent-rich 9 bout card is the biggest that South Florida has seen in years, featuring an excellent televised co-feature between top 10 Jr. Middleweight Eromosele Albert, 20-1,9 KO’s against Daniel Edouard 18-1-2, 11 KO’s.BetUS.com has posted boxing odds on the Fres Oquendo vs. Elieser Castillo Fight: